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CYBERPSYCHOLOGY & BEHAVIOR

Volume 9, Number 6, 2006
© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Rapid Communication

Why Are Adolescents Addicted to Online Gaming?

An Interview Study in Taiwan

CHIN-SHENG WAN, M.S. and WEN-BIN CHIOU, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was twofold: to investigate the conscious and unconscious psycho-
logical motivations of online game addicts, and to further discuss the relationship between
surface and source motivations. Ten Taiwanese adolescents with online game addiction were
selected for in-depth interviews. Through sentence completion test and semi-structured in-
terviews, data were collected and analyzed from the following four realms: (1) surface moti-
vations, (2) source motivations, (3) self-conception, and (4) interpersonal relationships in real
life. After content analysis, five categories with distinct themes were formed: (1) addicts’ psy-
chological needs and motivations; (2) online games as the everyday focus of the addicts; (3) the
interplay of real self and virtual self; (4) online games as the compensatory or extensive satis-
faction for addicts’ needs; and (5) addicts’ self-reflections. The implications of the present
study are discussed.

INTRODUCTION Online games have become one of the most ad-

dictive activities on the Internet.1 Most of the previ-

Y OUNG1 STATED that the Internet itself is not addic-

tive, but specific applications embedded with
interactive features appear to play a significant role
in the development of pathological Internet use.
Online games have attracted large numbers of play-
ers. Users can build their own virtual organizations
and create individual factions, organizations, and
terms based on shared beliefs, goals, preferences,
and other factors.2 Massive multi-player on-line
role-playing games (MMORPGs) are endless, be-
cause the main feature of MMORPGs is its system
of goals and achievements.3 Ng et al.3 stated that so-
cial interaction in MMORPGs is highly essential, as
you must collaborate with other players in the game
to succeed in more complex goals, and a player
must join a “guild” or “clan” of other players to ad-
vance further in the game.
ous studies utilized quantitative methods, such as
quantitative questionnaires, to explore the behav-
ior of heavy online game users.2–5 As seen in previ-
ous research, excessive use of online games can
result in a number of negative outcomes, such as
a negative impact on academic performance, in-
creased anxiety, deterioration of interpersonal rela-
tionship, escape from reality, and youth violence
and crimes. Therefore, online game addiction is an
issue of great concern that requires further explo-
ration.
The majority of research concerned with online
games has been conducted within a quantitative re-
search paradigm. Few have explored this issue using
qualitative research methodology, such as conduct-
ing in-depth interviews with online game addicts.
Tsai and Lin6 suggested that qualitative data gath-

General Education Center, Kaohsiung Hospitality College, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.

762
14356c07.pgs 11/28/06 10:22 AM Page 763
ADOLESCENTS IN TAIWAN AND ADDICTION TO ONLINE GAMING
ered from interviews might not only help researchers
interpret the findings revealed but also produce a
more detailed picture about Internet addiction. Grif-
fiths7 also suggested that other empirical techniques
such as in-depth qualitative interviews are required.
The aim of this study was to conduct in-depth inter-
views focusing on excessive and addictive online
game use among adolescents in Taiwan.
METHODS
Subjects
The subjects for the present study were selected
because they demonstrated addictive behaviors to-
ward online games and were highly cooperative.
Six subjects were chosen from Internet cafés, and
four subjects were referred. Seven subjects were
male, and three subjects were female. Eight subjects
were students whose experience with online game
was an average of 3 years. The subjects spent more
than 48 h on online games per week.
Procedure
All of the subjects exhibited addictive behavior
toward online games as determined by the re-
searcher’s subjective assessment and objective in-
dices (scores obtained from online game addiction
scales8). After acquiring consent from the subjects,
the semi-structured in-depth interviews were con-
ducted. The subjects were interviewed individu-
ally, with interviews ranging from 50 min to 2.5 h.
A trained researcher conducted each interview
individually. The interviews were used to supple-
ment our previous survey findings and to gather
first-hand, self-reported verbal data from these
subjects. We expected that the qualitative nature of
this study would provide more in-depth and rich
descriptions, such as the “how” and “why” of on-
line game addiction and heavy use.
Interview questions
The interview questions included the following
four major realms: (1) surface motivations, (2) in-
depth motivations, (3) self-conception, and (4) in-
terpersonal relationships in real life. The first phase
of the interview adopted the method of “sentence
completion,” which required the interviewees to
finish a series of incomplete sentences. Sentence
completion is a type of “projection technique,”
which is often used to obtain in-depth motivations,
needs, contradictions, or conflicts of participants.
763
There were 17 question items in total, and the sub-
jects were instructed to answer the questions by
providing the first thought or feeling coming to
their mind according to their real experiences and
views. The second phase of the interview included
13 open question items in order to obtain more data
about the subjects’ in-depth personal experiences
and thoughts regarding the Internet and online
games.
RESULTS
During data analysis, the texts of the interview
contents were first transcribed. Then, themes were
developed according to the study objectives, and
explanations generated to identify the source moti-
vations of players addicted to online games based
on the perspective of psychodynamics.
Psychological needs and motivations
This study analyzed both the question contents
concerning the motivations and functions of online
games, and the self-changing items from the inter-
views. Analysis of the results indicated that psy-
chological needs and motivations could be
categorized into the following seven themes: (1) en-
tertainment and leisure, (2) emotional coping (di-
versions from loneliness, isolation and boredom,
releasing stress, relaxation, discharging anger and
frustration), (3) escaping from reality, (4) satisfying
interpersonal and social needs (making friends,
strengthening friendships, and generating a sense
of belonging and recognition), (5) the need for
achievement, (6) the need for excitement and chal-
lenge, and (7) the need for power (the sense of su-
periority, the desire for control, and facilitation of
self-confidence).
Addicts’ focus of life
Most of the interviewees stated that their life
would be “dark” and “boring” if there were no on-
line games. Conversely, one interviewee suggested
that life would be “not much different,” whilst an-
other suggested that life would be “better!” with-
out online games. Furthermore, concerning “how
do you think” about being so addicted to online
games, the interviewees suggested that playing on-
line games was only for “feeling relaxed,” “leisure
activity,” “whiling away the time,” “escaping from
reality, being slack, and not feeling like studying,”
and “the need for interpersonal relations.” The
texts of self-reflection, on the one hand, illustrate
14356c07.pgs 11/28/06 10:22 AM Page 764
764
that playing online games is the focus of the ad-
dicts’ life.
Interplay of virtual self and real self
The following are interview items posed to the
subjects that concerned self-conception, or the dif-
ferences between the real self and the virtual self:
(1) “Have you chosen an identity completely dif-
ferent from the reality in online games?,” (2)
“What kind of image would you like to create
yourself into?” (3) “Playing online games makes
me think of myself as . . . .,” and (4) “Is there any-
thing that you would dare to do in online games
and not in real life?” The answers indicated that a
consistent or compensatory relationship existed
between the virtual self in online games and the
real self, and this finding suggests that the virtual
self in the online games not only could extend the
real self (self extension: consistency), but also
could serve as a compensatory function that might
satisfy the unfulfilled roles in real life. The consis-
tent or compensatory relationship of virtual self
and real self was mainly reflected in the areas of
“need for interpersonal relations” and “escaping
from reality,” and revealed that online games
could provide the function of role-playing. Grif-
fiths et al.9 analyzed two sites of information on
online game players, and the results indicated that
nearly three quarters of players engage in role-
play at some point. The present study showed that
at least eight subjects would use identities differ-
ent from that in real life, and some even played the
role of the opposite sex.
Compensatory or extensive satisfaction
As discussed previously, the five themes of need
consisted of the following: (1) “entertainment and
leisure,” (2) “emotional coping: whiling away times
and diverting oneself from loneliness and bore-
dom, releasing stresses, relaxing and letting off
emotions,” (3) “need for interpersonal relations,”
(4) “excitement and challenge seeking,” and (5) “es-
caping from the reality.” The subjects’ motivations
for playing online games (answers to the five items
above) were compared with the answers for the fol-
lowing items: (1) “how is your interpersonal relation-
ships in real life?” (2) “the relationship with peers in
real life,” and (3) “in real life, I like to seek . . .” It was
found that in the area of “interpersonal relation-
ship needs,” the interpersonal relationships in on-
line games might serve as a type of compensation
and replacing satisfaction, or a type of extension for
the quality and needs of interpersonal relationship
WAN AND CHIOU
in reality. In other words, online games provide the
addicted players another channel for meeting their
needs for interpersonal relationships.
Self-reflections
Regarding self reflections of online game engage-
ment, the subjects’ answers for questions such as “to
put it bluntly, playing online games is simply . . .”
and “what do you think of yourself as being so ad-
dicted to online games?” are quite consistent to
their motivations for playing online games, which
include “entertainment and leisure,” “emotional
coping: whiling away time and diverting oneself
from loneliness and boredom, releasing stresses, re-
laxing and letting off emotions,” “interpersonal in-
teractivity,” “excitement and challenge seeking,”
and “escaping from the reality.” However, “the
need for power: the sense of superiority and con-
trol” was not mentioned, which might indicate that
this need is only a secondary superficial motiva-
tion, rather than a primary need and motivation for
addicted online game players. Moreover, from the
perspective of psychodynamics,10 the answers re-
garding the motivations suggest that the needs for
achievement and power in addicted players might
be absent in the unconscious level. Even though
some of the addicted online game players con-
sciously believe that online games could meet the
needs for achievement and power, this might be
opposite to their unconsciousness. This means that
the needs for power and achievement in these ad-
dicted players might actually be quite little; how-
ever, because of the censorship from the superego,
the ego consciously shows the needs for power and
achievement through online games via the defense
mechanism of reaction formation. Therefore, the
presence of needs for power and achievement in
the conscious level merely reflects their weak or ab-
sent existence in the unconscious level.
DISCUSSION
The aim of this study was to explore addicts’
psychological texts among adolescents in Taiwan.
The psychological texts provided by the subjects
suggest that their major needs for playing online
games were for the four areas of “entertainment
and leisure,” “emotional coping,” “excitement and
challenge seeking,” and “escaping from reality.”
Similarly, the subjects’ texts also suggested that on-
line games either provide them with a compensa-
tory channel for unsatisfying needs or motivations
14356c07.pgs 11/28/06 10:22 AM Page 765
ADOLESCENTS IN TAIWAN AND ADDICTION TO ONLINE GAMING
in their real life, or for the same things they are
seeking in real life.
Most of the subjects reported that playing online
games had become the focus of their life. The expe-
riences provided by the subjects suggest that, with-
out online games, life would become “dark” and
“bored.” Why do people easily become addicted to
online games? The relationship between sense of
control and self-efficacy11,12 might provide insight
into this pathological use of online games. Ad-
dicted players felt that they could obtain the “sense
of control” through playing online games. How-
ever, based upon the perspective of the ambivalent
motivations in individuals’ compulsive behaviors,
playing games compulsively might only serve as
a coping mechanism, similar to the incessant puri-
fication behavior of obsessive-compulsive patients
such as hand washing. Thus, they might become
more likely to engage in online gaming for the
purpose of a temporary distraction. Follow the ra-
tionale, there should be the desire of “not-wanting-
to-control and not-willing-to-determine” in the
unconscious level of addicted players. However,
this motivation is not accepted by the censorship
of the superego.13 In order to reduce the neurotic
anxiety resulting from conflict between the id and
the superego, addicts would have to constantly
seek the virtual sense of control through online
gaming.
Most of the subjects in the present study showed
strong interests in role-playing of online games, in
which they often do things that they dare not to do
in real life. In an anonymous environment, online
game players always appear with nicknames in-
stead of real names. Thus, many people who are
addicted to the Internet might attempt to escape
from the limitations brought by real life in order to
obtain the space for survival and security.14 This in-
dicates that online gaming brings a anonymous en-
vironment with lower public self-awareness, and
allows players to stop concentrating on the self-
consciousness in order to prevent becoming overly-
worried about what other people would evaluate
and judge the way they act in front of others.15
From the perspective of psychodynamics,10 at the
conscious level addicted players might seek self-
presentation in an anonymous, relaxing, and secure
space, but unconsciously, they might actually have
an unsatisfied need for self-presentation due to
their poor self-image in real life.
Addressing the theoretical implications of this
study, some subjects’ reports indicate that they had
a reaction formation concerning the needs for
power and achievement in the unconscious level,
resulting in the compulsive use of online games. In
765
other words, unconsciously, these addicted online
game players should be motivated to avoid pursu-
ing achievements, power, and sense of superiority.
Although this avoidance could not be detected in
the conscious level, the censorship of the superego
triggers the defensive mechanism of reaction for-
mation, which results in the pursuit of the virtual
satisfaction of achievements and power in the on-
line games. In online games, the players might be
pursuing the satisfaction of achievement and
power on the surface; however, in real life, they are
not able to face these challenges, hence leading to
contradictions between their surface motivations
and source motivations. From the perspective of
psychodynamics,10 when addicts would not be
willing to cope with the source motivations in the
unconscious level, they would incessantly engage
in the heavy use of online games to reduce the neu-
rotic anxiety coming from the conflict between
their superego and ego. Through an analysis of the
psychological texts provided by the addicted play-
ers, it was found that the pathological viewpoints
of psychodynamics for compulsive behaviors
could be used to explain addicts’ source motiva-
tion in the unconscious level, and these source mo-
tivations might be the dynamic which motivates
the players to engage in online games compul-
sively.
As to the practical implications of this study, in
regarding to the addicted players whose pathologi-
cal use due to their reaction formation to uncon-
scious motivations, the counseling intervention
could be employed by a psychoanalysis approach.
Counselors’ interpretation of the players’ neurotic
anxiety would enable them to get insights into their
source motivations in the unconscious level, and
thus break the chain of compulsive Internet use.
Concerning addicted players without the contra-
diction between surface motivations and source
motivations; online games only serve as a way for
extending or replacing satisfactions in the virtual
world. Therefore, providing them with extending
or replacing alternatives with more benefits and
less negative effects would result in a decrease in
their addictive use of online games.
The subjects used in the present study only in-
cluded Taiwanese adolescents; hence, the phenom-
enon of online game addiction should not be
generalized beyond the parameters of this study.
Future research should include interviews with
adolescents from other countries as well as conduct
cross-cultural analyses. Future studies could con-
sider conducting in-depth interviews over the In-
ternet, rather than our face-to-face interviews;
participants might be more forthcoming and hon-
14356c07.pgs 11/28/06 10:22 AM Page 766
766
est in the anonymous environment of the Internet.
Moreover, on-line interviews can be conducted
without the limitations of time and location, and
each interviewee’s responses could easily be re-
corded in digital format.16
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E-mail: seanchiou@mail.nhkc.edu.tw
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